PHILLIES NOTEBOOK: Howard, Ruiz set for MRIs

Philadelphia Phillies' Carlos Ruiz is checked by a trainer after running from first to third base during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Philadelphia. Ruiz left the game at the end of the inning. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies’ 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds Sunday did not arrive without pain.

Camouflaged by back-to-back ninth-inning home runs from Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis were three medical reports that the Phillies didn’t find quite as welcome.

• Carlos Ruiz felt his hamstring pop while running the bases in the second inning. He was replaced by Kratz and did not make the trip with the Phillies to Miami, where they will play the Marlins Monday. Instead, he will remain in Philadelphia to undergo an MRI.

Humberto Quintero has been hustled to Florida to provide a backup catcher.

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• Ryan Howard reported soreness in his left knee, causing him to miss the game, even though the Reds were starting a right-handed pitcher, Homer Bailey. Howard will have what the Phillies called a “precautionary” MRI Monday, though they have plans to fly him to Miami afterward where he technically would be available for the game.

• Mike Adams continued to remain unavailable with a strained back. Though his pain has eased, he said his right shoulder has become rusty.

Of the troubles, Ruiz’s seemed the most severe.

“It was a bad feeling because it surprised me when that happened,” Ruiz said. “And it happened like that. It was the last thing that I expected to happen because I was feeling great.”

Ruiz had reached on a second-inning force-out, and was injured running from first to third on a Galvis single to right.

“I felt a little bit of a pop,” he said.

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Howard said he had been feeling pain in his knee since “spring training”, but that it flared Saturday.

When he reported that, Charlie Manuel inserted Michael Young at first base, and had Galvis start at third.

“It’s tough to push off a little bit,” Howard said. “We’ll try it and see if the rest helps. We’ll see what happens, though.”

Howard is hitting .245 with six home runs.

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When Quintero is activated Monday, the Phillies will require a roster move. Adams, who has not pitched since May 10, would be a disabled-list candidate – particularly because he stressed Sunday that he would not be available to pitch Monday, anyway, even though he was making the trip to Miami.

“I played catch today,” he said Sunday. “Everything felt good. The shoulder did not. But the back felt great. I feel really good. We’ll see how it goes. That’s all I can tell you.”

The shoulder trouble was new … but not entirely unexpected, all circumstances considered.

“Yeah,” he said. “I haven’t thrown in a week, man. That’s what happens when you don’t throw for a week.”

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The Phillies will require an additional roster move Tuesday when Tyler Cloyd will be re-activated to start against the Marlins. They are hoping it would be as simple as replacing Quintero with Ruiz.

Cloyd went 6.1 innings in his one start of the season, allowing two hits and two runs in a 3-2 loss in Arizona. He was shuffled back to the minors, but was in the clubhouse and on the trip to Miami Sunday.

“I felt good when I threw in Arizona, but then they said I was going down because they wouldn’t need a starter for a while,” Cloyd said. “I had one start in Lehigh and it didn’t go the best. But I felt good and got my work in. Then they told me I was coming back. They haven’t told me anything, just to prepare myself for Miami and then continue to go from there.”

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Michael Young made his first start of the season at first base Sunday, replacing the injured Howard. Though he said he carries his first-baseman’s glove everywhere, he had not taken ground balls at first at all this season … not even in spring training.

“I look forward to new challenges,” said Young, who had played some first base in Texas, including some last season.

He looked comfortable there Sunday, particularly in the third inning, when he initiated a successful 3-6-3 double play.

“I don’t get nervous,” he said, “about baseball.”

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Hitting No. 2 behind Jimmy Rollins, Ben Revere went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored Sunday to up his average to .254.

“Today, we were hitting the ball hard and just couldn’t get anything for it,” he said. “Luckily in those last two innings, we got the key runs and that helped us. It was good. I like games like that --- keep hitting it hard, keep hitting it hard … and then in the last couple of innings, win the game. In baseball, luck can go on our side, too.”

NOTES

With Ruiz injured early Sunday and Kratz in the game, Kevin Frandsen was the Phillies’ emergency catcher, Manuel said … Cole Hamels (1-6, 4.61 ERA) will oppose Marlins right-hander Alex Sanabia (2-6, 5.00) Monday at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday night, it will be Cloyd (0-0, 2.84) and right-handed Jose Fernandez (2-2, 3.48). Wednesday night, Cliff Lee (4-2, 2.83) and right-handed Kevin Slowey (1-4, 3.44) will pitch … The walk-off victory was the Phillies’ second of the season. The other came April 6, when they defeated Kansas City, 4-3, on Frandsen’s ninth-inning double … Jonathan Pettibone is the first Phillies rookie to allow three or fewer earned runs in each of his first six career starts since Ben Rivera in 1992.